Container for hypodermic solutions.



N. S. MAYO.

CONTAINER FOR HYRODERMIC SOLUTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.24. l9l6.

Patented July 4, 1916.

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON S. MAYO, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO THE ABBOTT LABORATORIES,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONTAINER FOR HYPODEBMIC SOLUTIONS/' I lar instrument maybe inserted through the closure into the container for the purpose of withdrawing. the solution.

It will be readily understood by all persons skilled in the arts of medicine and surgery that points of hypodermic needles or analogous instruments must be maintained in absolute antiseptic condition if they are to be used without danger of infecting the patient. It is also clear that solutions such as vaccine, antitoxin, or other medicinal or sur "cal liri uids which are to be injected hypo ermica ly must be kept absolutely uncontaminated by foreign agencies; other-.

wise, the solution when injected hypodermically will of itself cause infection.

Among the salient objects of my invention are, to provide a sealed container for hypodermic 0r analogous fluids, so arranged that the pointof a hypodermic needle or analogous instrument may be readily inserted into the fluid for the purpose of withdrawingit from the container uncontaminated by exterior agencies, while at the same time sterilizing the instrument which is inserted Y into the container; to provide .a container of the class described provided with a supplyof antiseptic material which is maintained out of contact with the solution in the container and which therefore does not tend to neutralize or in any way affect the potency of the hypodermic solution; to provide a closure for a container of the class described such that the antiseptic material is maintained sealed against the atmosphere, thereby preserving the antiseptic character of the closurefor an indefinite period; to provide a closure of the class described which is capable of being readily pierced by the point of a hypodermic needle or other instrument in order to insert the same into the solution Specification of Letters'Patent.

which,-

made of aluminum or other suitable mate- Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed January 2 4, 1916. Serial No. 73,853.

container; to provide a closure of the type last described and of such character as to admit of its being pierced by a hypodermic needle and upon the removal of the needle w1ll at once assume its normal function as a seal for the container; to provide a closure of the class described, the efliciency of which 1s not seriously impaired by a single insert1on of the hypodermic. needle but which will permit the insertion of the needle several times before the antiseptic characterlfifin or of the seal is destroyed;-to provide a container and closure therefor of the class described of simple design and economical to manufacture, and,-'.in general, to provide an improved construction of the character re ferred to. v

Myinvention willbe readily understood when this description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is an axial section through a container constructed according -,to my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container ,shown in Fig. 1, the protective outer cap havin been removed; and Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. '1, the external thimble having been removed to permit the insertion of a hypodermic needle into the-solution.

Referring to thedrawings, the container 10 is in this instance a bottle'made of glass or other material having the required aseptic properties. The particular container shown and described is substantially cylindrical in shape and the closure therefor is applied to the reduced substantially cylindrical neck '11, in this instance slightly less in diameter than the diameter of the body of the container. The outside of the neck 11 is threaded to accommodate a screw cap 12 rial, said cap being provided with one or more perforations 13, as shown in Fig. 2.

14 is a disk of sealing material, such as soft rubber, which is impervious to the hypodermic liquid 15 contained within the glass receptacle 10, and constitutes the hermetic seal for the mouth of the container. Between the rubber sealing disk 14 and the v perforated top of. the cap 121 interpose a disk 16 of porous material, for instance sponge rubber, which is charged with a disinfectant such as a carbolic acid solution or suitable germicide. In order to prevent the sponge rubber 16 and escaping through the perforations 13 in the top of the cap 12,

there is inserted between the perforated top of the cap 12 and the antiseptic disk 16 a second disk 17 of impervious sealing material, similar to the disk 14.

In practice, after the serum or other hypodermic solution has been initially introduced into the previously sterilized receptacle 10, the sealing disk 14 is first placed over the mouth of the container,-and afterward the antispetic disk 16 and the subsidiary sealing disk 17 are placed in position over the primary sealing disk 14. .The screw cap 12 is then screwed down into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby compressing all three disks, this accomplishin two main objects;first, the sealing dis '14 is thrust tightly against the open mouth of the container, thereby sealing the same against contaminating agencies; and secondly, the disk 17 is pressed tightly up against the top of the cap and so seals the perforations and prevents the antispetic contained in the disk 16 from being lost or wasted. It will be observed that the disk 14 is sufiiciently compressed to force its outer edge substantially into engagement with the interior circumference of the cap 12, which prevents leakage of the antiseptic past the threads of the fn order to withdraw a charge of the contained solution by means of a hypodermic syringe or needle, the nose or point 18 of the needle is thrust forcibly through one of the apertures 13 until it passes through all three of the rubber disks and enters the solution a sufiicient distance to permit the withdrawal of the proper amount of the fluid therein. After the mechanism of the needle has been properly manipulated to draw up the required charge of fluid, the nose of the syringe is Withdrawn. It will be manifest that the effect of pushing the point or nose of the needle through the antiseptic member 16 will be to completely sterilize the point of the needle and such part of its length as comes in contact with the disinfectant contained within the pores of the antiseptic disk. Also, owing to the fact that it has been unnecessary to remove the cap 12 and the sealing disk 14 from the container, the fluid therein contained is uncontaminated by outside agencies and retains its original properties. The container 10 may be of sufficient capacity to receive quite a number of hypodermic doses or injections, and a succession of antiseptic charges of fluid may be successively removed from the container in the above described manner without destroying the hermetically sealed character of the receptacle ,closure. This end is attained by making the sealing disk 14 of soft rubber so thatwhen the point of the needle is withdrawn the edges of the hole in the disk 14 will immediately close up and restore the seal to practically its original efliciency.

The top of the cap 12 has several perforations so that the antiseptic or disinfectant contained in the pores of the disk 16 may be utilized over a wide area and so prevent the possibility of the needle being improperly sterilized if thrust through the same spot in the closure several times after the disinfectant around that particular spot has become exhausted. As an additional precaution and to prevent foreign matter or infection from gathering on the top of the closure and coming in contact with the needle, I place over the ca 12 an external thimble 19 which is unper orated and furnished with a thin disk 20 of absorbent material such as cloth which is charged with a disinfectant such as carbolic acid. With this arrangement the possibility of infecting the needle or the hypodermic solution is reduced to a negligible item.

Although I have described in this specification a single application of my invention, which I consider a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that time and experience may indicate that the invention may be embodied in various other forms suited for a variety of needs.

Hence, the scope of the invention is to be determined, not by reference to the described details of construction or operation, but by reference tothe appended claims.

I claim 1. In a container for hypodermic solutions having an outwardly facing sealing mouth, the combination of a readily perforable member of porous rubber charged With a germicidal material, a seal of flexible rubber interposed between said mouth and said readily perforableporous rubber memher, a member secured to said container and constituting a cap for said porous rubber member and said flexible rubber seal, said cap having a perforation therein for the insertion of a hypodermic needle for Withdrawing a charge of the solution from the container, and a secondary seal offlexible rubber adapted to cover said porous rubber member, the said cap serving as an inchsure for said seals and said porous rubber member and as a means for forcing them toward said sealing mouth and for pressing said first mentioned seal against said sealing mouth whereby the evaporation of the germicide in said porous rubber member is prevented.

2. A container having a sealing mouth and a threaded neck surrounding said mouth, a porous readily perforable disk charged with a germicidal material and covering said mouth, a sealing disk of flexible rubber interposed between said mouth and said porous disk, a cap threaded on said neck having its outer. end perforated to admit a hypodermic needle and adapted to press said disks, and a disk of flexible rubber interposed between said porous disk and 5 said cap, said flexible disks constituting with the cap a sealed inclosure for said porous element to prevent evaporation of the germicidal material.

"3. The combination of a container for hygodermic solutions provided with a neck 10 an a sealing orifice, a rubber sealing disk fitting over said orifice, a porous member charged with germicidal material overlying said disk, a subsidiary sealing disk overlying said porous element, and a perforated 15 screw cap inclosing said disks threaded onto said neck for making said seals eflective. NELSON S. MAYO. 

